We are in a very difficult and challenging world right now as we fight our way out of the Coronavirus pandemic and some days it can seem hard to find anything good in the world but in order for our own mental health and well-being to stay healthy, we need to find ways to acknowledge and celebrate even the smallest of our daily victories.

It is important to celebrate the small as well as the big wins – many people have significant goals they are striving to achieve but if we remember to celebrate the small victories on a daily basis it will make our end goal seem much more attainable because our minds are constantly set in ‘achieved’.  Scientific studies have shown taking time to reflect on and celebrate success helps not only with improving physical health but with creating better coping strategies, those of us who can deploy this are less likely to be affected by stress – so take a moment to bask in the glory of your having responded to 20 of the 200 emails awaiting your action or the fact you have already hit 10,000 steps for the day and it’s not yet noon.  These may seem small victories but they should be acknowledged outwardly and if you are someone who suffers with low self-esteem, by verbalizing your small victory to others you will receive kudos and positive comments which contribute towards making us feel better and reaffirming what we are doing is all definitely worth the while.  Small wins on a regular basis add up to big achievements so never underestimate the power of a small win because when you tot them all up, you will see just how far you have come.

Here are some ways to celebrate your small successes

Family Fri-yays – we all love Fridays to look forward to, get the family together at an allotted time each week and celebrate your weekly victories – for the kids this could be eating one more yukky vegetable that week, cleaning out the hamster’s cage or clearing their clothing off the bedroom floor; for the grown-ups it could be acknowledging achieving all your weekly fitness goals, the fact you ate healthily 5 times in the week or avoided having an argument with an irritating family member.

Get excited – you may have a big goal you are working towards achieving but instead of saving up all of your excitement for the grande finale which may not be for months or even years, make a point of getting excited about the small wins along the way.  By celebrating or acknowledging these small wins, no matter how small, they will ensure your motivation remains on track and that will keep you in a positive frame of mind – which will make the long term goal seem that much more achievable.

Small wins team report – in any company there are always goals and objectives to be achieved but why not implement a ‘small wins’ report too?  Every member of staff can contribute on a monthly basis with a snapshot of their small wins and these are compiled into a monthly report which is then shared across the business.

Share your wins – by verbalizing your small wins to a friend or loved one you are not only affirming to yourself that what you are doing counts but you are talking about something positive and whilst your small win may seem small to you, to another, it could be really quite significant and be a motivator for their own celebrations of wins.  By talking about something positive we are eradicating the doom and gloom of the coronavirus world or every day issues – now isn’t that a great reason to want to celebrate even the smallest of wins?

So, what will you be acknowledging or celebrating as your small wins this year?  I would love to hear about them – write to me – rowena@shoreyconsulting.co.uk